Niels History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Niels

What does the name Niels mean?

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name Niels is Ó Néill, which means descendant of Niall, a personal name of Irish origin, thought to mean "champion." 1

"Of the very great antiquity of this distinguished name and family there can be no doubt." 2

Niels Coat of Arms Creation

Two brothers of the race of Colla Uais saw the Isle of Islay from their native Ireland, and both, at the same time, resolved to possess it. Each got his birlinn ready with its full comple-ment of men, and the race began. When within a short distance of landing, one galley was a length ahead ; whereupon the brother in the galley behind, seeing that the race was about to be won by the other, placed his left hand on the gunwale and, with his own sword, cut it off and threw it ashore, saying as he did so, " Tha m' fhuil agus m' fheoil air tir romhad" ("My flesh and my blood are ashore ahead of you "). 3

Early Origins of the Niels family

The surname Niels was first found in County Tyrone (Irish: Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, and County Clare where O'Neill was chief of Clan Dalvy and of Tradree, a district in the barony of Inchiquinn. In the 10th century, a branch of this family went to Limerick to assist in the expulsion of the Danes.

After one victorious occasion they wore green boughs in their helmets and on their horses' heads signifying their victory.

Early History of the Niels family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Niels research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1480, 1530, 1550, 1559, 1567, 1612, 1616, 1664, 1689 and 1694 are included under the topic Early Niels History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Niels Spelling Variations

Irish names were rarely spelled consistently in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations of the name Niels dating from that time include O'Neill, Neal, Neale, Neales, Neil, Nihill, Niell, O'Nail, O'Neil, O'Niel and many more.

Early Notables of the Niels family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Sir Niall O'Neill who distinguished himself at the Battle of the Boyne; Conn O'Neill, 1st Earl of Tyrone (c.1480-1559) King of Tir Eogain; Shane O'Neill (c.1530-1567), Irish king of the O'Neill dynasty of Ulster; Hugh O'Neill (c. 1550-1616), Earl of Tyrone, also known as the Great Earl...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Niels Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Niels migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Niels Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Ann Niels, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Huntress" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st April 1863 4
Mr. Thomas Niels, (b. 1836), aged 27, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Huntress" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st April 1863 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Niels (post 1700) +

Cornelis Niels van den Berge (b. 1984), Dutch former politician
R. Niels Marquardt (b. 1953), American diplomat
Niels Aall (1769-1854), Norwegian estate owner, businessman and politician
Niels Vink (b. 2002), Dutch wheelchair tennis player, gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Paralympics
Niels Peter Hillebrandt (1815-1885), Danish organist and composer
Niels Theodore Christiansen, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 13th District, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903 5
Niels Lolk Helveg Petersen (1939-2017), Danish politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs (1993-2000)
Niels Henrik Arendt (1950-2015), Danish Church of Denmark prelate, Bishop of Haderslev from 1999 to 2013
Niels de Ruiter (b. 1983), nicknamed The Excellent Dude, a former Dutch darts player, current director of the Dutch Darts Federation
Niels Scheuneman (b. 1983), Dutch professional road bicycle racer

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html